The President stressed that while dissent and free speech are fundamental to the United States, he accused the protests of being violent and said that has no place in the nation.
While there have been no accounts of violence at the protests, saving for UCLA where clashes occured with pro-Israeli counter-protesters utilizing pepper spray, tear gas and fireworks to attack the crowds, the President was nevertheless concerned about the violence allegedly perpetrated by the pro-Palestine protesters.
He and his office have also repeatedly declined to criticize the tactics of the police, which have flash grenades, tear gas, pepper spray and even rubber bullets. On Thursday, it was reported that one officer discharged his gun while breaching a building occupied by protesters in Columbia, though no one was hurt.
Of course, there is also the issue of Gaza itself, where all 12 universities have been either completely destroyed or significantly damaged. Which might be Biden’s genius plan: Gazans can’t feel unsafe on campus if there aren’t any campuses.